Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

3D vascularized eye tissue models age-related macular degeneration

We engineered a 3D outer-blood-retina-barrier (3D-oBRB) with a fully polarized retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) monolayer on top of a Bruch’s membrane and a fenestrated choriocapillaris network. This 3D-oBRB tissue faithfully recapitulates RPE– choriocapillaris interactions, dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) phenotypes (including sub-RPE drusen deposits and choriocapillaris degeneration) and the wet AMD phenotype of choriocapillaris neovascularization.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Modeling type I CNV in 3D-oBRB.

References

  1. Song, M. J. & Bharti, K. Looking into the future: using induced pluripotent stem cells to build two and three dimensional ocular tissue for cell therapy and disease modeling. Brain Res. 1638, 2–14 (2016). This review article highlights the unmet need for 3D engineered tissue products and how to develop them from stem cells.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bhutto, I. & Lutty, G. Understanding age-related macular degeneration (AMD): relationships between the photoreceptor/retinal pigment epithelium/Bruch’s membrane/choriocapillaris complex. Mol. Aspects Med. 33, 295–317 (2012). This article reports physiological crosstalk between RPE, Bruch’s membrane and the choriocapillaris in AMD.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Baltazar, T. et al. Three dimensional bioprinting of a vascularized and perfusable skin graft using human keratinocytes, fibroblasts, pericytes, and endothelial cells. Tissue Eng. A 26, 227–238 (2020). This article reports a detailed protocol for how to develop a 3D vasculature using bioprinting.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Orlova, V. V. et al. Generation, expansion and functional analysis of endothelial cells and pericytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat. Protoc. 9, 1514–1531 (2014). This article reports a detailed step-by-step protocol to differentiate endothelial cells and pericytes from iPSCs.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Sharma, R. et al. Clinical-grade stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium patch rescues retinal degeneration in rodents and pigs. Sci. Transl. Med. 11, eaat5580 (2019). This article reports a detailed protocol to differentiate RPE cells and pericytes from iPSCs.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Song, M. J. et al. Bioprinted 3D outer retina barrier uncovers RPE-dependent choroidal phenotype in advanced macular degeneration. Nat. Methods https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-022-01701-1 (2022).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

3D vascularized eye tissue models age-related macular degeneration. Nat Methods 20, 46–47 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-022-01702-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-022-01702-0

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing